Convertible wheel chair and commode



Sept. 13, 1966 R. F. mu BOSE 3,271,785

CONVERTIBLE WHEEL CHAIR AND COMMODE Filed Dec. 50, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR:

K 0852715 Dafiosg Sept. 13, 1966 R. F. DU BOSE 3,271,785

CONVERTIBLE WHEEL CHAIR AND COMMODE Filed Dec. 30, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 HI H] L w.. 0

12 5. Q 2?} 63) 5 fi Z1 65 0 52 47 L K h I A fli- Z INVENTOR foaeerf DQ150315,

BY d W ATTORNEY United States Patent M 3,271,785 CONVERTIBLE WHEEL CHAIR AND COMMODE Robert F. Du Bose, 611 Ronnie Road, Madison, Tenn. Filed Dec. 30, 1964, Ser. No. 422,306 3 Claims. (Cl. 4134) This invention relates to a commode chair, and more particularly to a wheel chair having a convertible toilet seat.

Although the prior art includes wheel chairs having openings in the seat members adapted to be closed and opened by secondary seat members, none of these wheel chairs discloses a chamber pot or receptacle carried by the chair in a stationary position while the secondary seat member is being opened or closed.

It is therefore one object of this invention to overcome the above disadvantage by providing a commode chair, or wheel chair having a toilet seat, in which the auxiliary or secondary seat member for closing and opening the hole in the primary seat member may be easily manipulated without interfering with the receptacle carried by the chair.

Another object of this invention is to provide a commode chair provided with its own receptacle, in which a secondary seat member may be raised and lowered to close and open the opening in a primary seat member, and may be removed from and returned to a position in the vertical path or projection of the opening by a patient seated in the chair without assistance.

Another object of this invention is to provide a wheel chair having a secondary seat member adapted to open and close an opening in the primary seat member, including a first handle means operative to raise and lower the second seat member, and a second handle means for moving the secondary seat member between the lowered position and an inoperative position.

A further object of this invention is to provide a wheel chair having a toilet seat with an opening and a secondary seat member, including operative means for raising and lowering the secondary seat member, to close and open the toilet seat opening, and means for moving the lowered secondary seat member rearwardly of the chair to an inoperative position out of the way of the patient and the vertical projection of the opening.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the invention showing the secondary seat member in raised, closed position;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the invention disclosed in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a section taken along the line 33 of FIG. 2, but showing the full width of the seat members;

FIG. 4 is a section taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional elevation, similar to FIG. 2, showing the secondary seat member in its lowered position in solid lines, and in its inoperative position in phantom.

Referring now to the drawings in more detail, and particularly FIG. 1, the wheel chair includes a frame 11 supported by drive wheels 12 and casters 13. Frame 11 includes upstanding rear frame members 15 and 16,

the upper ends of which curve rearwardly to form pushing handles 17 and 18. The lower portions of the frame members 15 and 16 curve forwardly to form substantially horizontal lower frame members 19 and 20. The forward portions of the lower frame members 19 and 26) are connected by a transverse bar 21.

The front frame members 24 and 25 extend upwardly and rearwardly to form arm members 26 and 27, sup- 3,271,785 Patented Sept. 13, 1966 porting arm pads or rests 28 and 29. The lower portions of the front frame members 24 and 25 may pivotally support the foot rests 30 and 31. A transverse bar 33 connects the front frame members '24 and 25, and a curved back support bar 34 connects the rear frame members 15 and 16.

A back panel 36 is supported between the rear frame members 15 and 16, and side panels 37 and 38 are supported between the frame members 15 and 24 and 16 and 25, respectively.

The primary seat member 40 is disclosed having a flat rigid base or plate 41 supporting a cushion 42. The base 41 is adapted to be fixed in any convenient manner upon the elongated side flanges 43 by any convenient means, such as bolts, not shown. The side flanges 43 are fixed between frame members 15 and 24 and 16 and 25, respectively, and as shown in the drawings, form the upper flanges of steel channels 44 having webs 45. Formed in the primary seat member 40 is an opening or aperture 47 of the proper size and location for the primary seat member 41) to function as a toilet seat. Spaced below and in substantially parallel relation to the flanges 44 are a pair of elongated runners 48. As shown in the drawings, the runners 48 are the bottom flanges of the channels 44.

Adapted to be supported by the runners 48 for longitudinal slidable movement is the secondary seat member 50 comprising a plane, rigid base or plate 51 upon which is mounted an insert or plug 52. The plate 51 has a width greater than the distance between the runners 48 but not quite as great as the distance between the webs 45, and the length of the plate 51 is substantially the same as the length of the primary seat member 40. The plug 52 is also a cushion having the same cross-sectional shape as the opening 47 and of the proper dimensions for snugly fitting within the opening 47. The height of the plug 52 is such that when the base plate 51 has been elevated to its closed position, limited by engagement with the bottom surfaces of the side flanges 43, the top surface of the plug 52 will be substantially coplanar with the top surface of the cushion 42 of the primary seat member 40. Although the rear portions of the runners 48 are open and unobstructed to the rearward passage of secondary seat 50, a front flange 54 extends across and connects the opposite side flanges 43, webs and runners 48, to limit the forward movement of the secondary seat member to the solid line positions disclosed in FIGS. 2 and 5, where the plug 52 is in vertical alignment with the opening 47. In its lowered position, disclosed in solid lines in FIG. 5, the plate 51 is resting uponthe runners 48 in slidable engagement and the top of the plug 52 is spaced below the side flanges 44 sufliciently to clear the secondary seat member 50 for free rearward movement to its inoperative position disclosed in phantom in FIG. 5 on the runner extensions 48'.

In order to raise the secondary seat member 50 to its closed position (FIG. 2) and lower the secondary seat member 50 to its lowered position ('FIG. 5), a cam mechanism is provided. The cam mechanism includes a plurality of rotary cams 56 fixed .to the transverse rotary shafts 57 and 58 journaled in bearings 59 fixed to any convenient portion of the frame 11, such as the channels 44. Fixed to one end of the front rotary shaft 57 is a crank arm 60 having a laterally extending handle 61. A crank arm 62 is also fixed to one end of the rear shaft 58, and the two crank arms 60' and 62 are pivotally connected by the link bar 63. Thus, as the handle '61 is moved from its rear phantom position disclosed in FIG. 5 to its forward position disclosed in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the secondary seat member 50 is elevated from its lowered position to its raised turn the secondary seat member 50 from its raised position in FIG. 2, to its lowered position in FIG. 5.

In order to remove the secondary seat member 50 from its lowered position disclosed in solid lines in FIG. 5, to its inoperative position disclosed in phantom in FIG. 5, a handle member such as handle rod 65 may be fixed to the edge of the forward portion of the plate 51 to extend laterally through a guideway, such as the L-shaped slot 66 formed in the left web 45. This slot 66 has a vertical portion 67 and a horizontal portion 68. The handle rod 65 extends through slot 66 a sufiicient distance to accommodate the hand of the operator. As the secondary seat member 50 moves from its raised position to its lowered position, the handle rod 65 will ride downwardly through the vertical slot portion 67 until it registers with the horizontal portion 68. The patient may then grasp the handle rod 65 and thrust it rearwardly along the horizontal slot portion 68 until the secondary member 50 has moved to its inoperative position on the runner extensions 48, disclosed in phantom in FIG. 5. In the inoperative position, the secondary seat member 50 is completely moved from beneath the vertical projection of the opening 47.

In situations where an attendant is available to the patient or if for any reason it is desired to completely remove the secondary seat member 50 from the chair then a handhole 70 (FIG. 3) may be provided in the rear portion of the plate 51 in addition to or as a substitute for the handle rod 65 and L-shaped slot 66.

Mounted on the lower frame members 19 and is a platform 72 provided with an annnular receptacle support member 73. The support member 73 is adapted to receive the bottom portion of the receptacle, such as a pail or bucket 74, having an open top. The platform 72 is fixed to the lower frame members 19 and 20' in such a position that the annular support member 73 and the receptacle 74 are in substantially vertical alignment with the opening 47. The receptacle 74 should be of a crosssection substantially as great or greater than the crosssectional dimensions of the opening 47. A most important feature of the receptacle 74 and the platform 72 is that the top of the receptacle 74 must be spaced below the runners 48, either by virtue of the height of the receptacle 74 or the elevation of the platform 72. As long as the top of the receptacle 74 is below the runners 48, the receptacle 74 will not interfere with the movement of the secondary member 50 between its raised, lowered and inoperative positions.

From the above description, the operation of the invention becomes apparent. Normally the secondary seat member 50- is in its raised position disclosed in FIGS. 1-4, with the opening 47 closed by the plug 52 so that the cushion 42 and plug 52 function as a solid seat member in a conventional wheel chair. In this raised position, the handle 61 is in the forward position disclosed in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 so that the rotary cams 5 6 are substantially in upright position supporting the base plate 51. Where the handle rod 65 is employed, it will be extending through the upper end of the vertical portion 67 of the slot 66. Moreover, the receptacle 74 will be resting on the platform 72 within its annular support means 73.

When the patient desires to use the primary seat member 40 as a toilet seat, he merely retracts the handle 61 to the positon of FIG. 5, causing the rotary cams 56 to rotate in a counterclockwise direction permitting the secondary seat member 50 to drop to its lowered position in vertical alignment with the opening 47. Simultaneously, the handle rod 65 drops from the top to the bottom of the vertical slot portion 67 to register with the horizontal slot portion 68. The patient then grasps the handle rod 65, thrusts the handle rod 65 to the rear guided by the slot portion 68, until the handle rod 65 abuts against the rear of the slot portion 68. This operation carries the secondary seat member 60 from the lowered position to the inoperative positive disclosed in phantom in FIG. 5,

to completely clear the vertically projected space between the opening 47 and the receptacle 74.

When the patient then desires to convert the primary seat member 40 from a toilet seat to a conventional seat, he merely reverses the procedure by first thrusting forward handle rod 65 until it regisetrs with the vertical slot portion 67, in which position, the front end of the secondary seat member 50 abuts against the front flange 54 so that the plug 52 is in vertical alignment with the opening 47. The patient then grasps the handle 61 and rotates it forward, simultaneously elevating the secondary seat member 50 until the plug 52 is flush with the cushion 42.

It will be noted that the entire operation of coverting from a conventional seat to a toilet seat, and vice versa, can be carried out solely by the patient without assistance, and without moving from his seated position in chair 10. The only assistance the patient will need will be in the emptying or replacement of the receptacle 74.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, and therefore the invention is not limited by that which is shown in the drawings and described in the specification, but only as indicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A chair comprising:

(a) a frame having a front and a rear,

(b) .a primary seat member fixed in said frame,

(c) said primary seat member having: an opening therethrough,

(d) a secondary seat member comprising a base and a plug mounted on said base,

(e) said plug being adapted to fill said opening flush with said primary seat member when said secondary seat member is in raised closed position,

(f) a pair of elongated runners mounted on said frame spaced beneath said primary seat member and on opposite sides of said opening for slidably support ing said base for longitudinal movement between a first lowered position within the vertical projection of and beneath said opening and a second lowered inoperative position behind and removed from said vertical projection, said plug being beneath said prmary seat member in said first lowered position and during its longitudinal movement therefrom,

(g) cam means for engaging said base to vertically move said secondary seat member between said first lowered position and said raised position,

(b) first handle means operatively connected to said cam means and accessible to an occupant of said chair for operating said cam means,

(i) second handle means operatively fixed to said base for moving said secondary seat member longitudinally of said runners between said first lowered position and said second lowered position,

(j) a receptacle having an open top, and

(k) means mounted on said frame for supporting said receptacle in vertical alignment with said opening so that said top is beneath the plane of said runners.

2. The invention according to claim 1 in which said second handle means is an elongated handle member fixed to and extending laterally from one side of said base, a guideway on said frame having a vertical portion for guiding said second handle member as said secondary seat members moves between said raised position and said first lowered position, and said guideway comprising a horizontal portion for guiding said second handle member as said secondary seat member is moved between said first and second lowered positions.

3. A wheel chair having a frame and wheels for supporting said frame, comprising:

(a) a primary seat member fixed in said frame,

(b) said primary seat member having an opening therethr-ough,

(c) a secondary seat member comprising a plate and a plug mounted on said plate,

(d) said plug being adapted to fill said opening flush (e) a pair of parallel elongated runners mounted on said frame and extending from front to rear and opening in the rear of said chair,

(f) said runners being spaced beneath said primary seat member and on opposite sides of said opening a distance less than the width of said plate for slidably supporting said plate for longitudinal movement between a first lowered position below and within the vertical projection of said opening and a second lowered position behind and removed from said vertical projection, said plug being clear for longitudinal movement beneath said primary seat member in said lowered positions,

(g) a plurality of rotary cams, (h) means for rotatably supporting said cams on said frame for engaging the bottom of said plate,

(i) handle means operatively connected to said rotatable cam supporting means for rotating said cams to engage the bottom of said plate in said first lowered position and to raise said plate rectilinearly from said first lowered position to said raised position, and for holding said secondary seat member in said raised position,

(j) a receptacle having an open top substantially of the same cross-sectional dimensions as said opening,

(k) a platform fixed to said frame for supporting said receptacle in the vertical projection of said opening so that said top is beneath the plane of said runners,

(l) a handle rod fixed to and extending laterally from said plate, and

(m) an L-shaped guideway in said frame for receiving and guiding said handle rod as it moves between said raised positon, said first lowered position and said second lowered position.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 557,614 4/1907 Schmitt 4-134 2,086,550 7/1937 Hartig 4--134 2,942,648 6/ 1960 Barsotti 4134 3,061,368 10/1962 Matthews 4134 3,062,582 11/1962 Baldwin 4-134 3,186,759 6/1965 Reeves 4- 134 References Cited by the Applicant UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,086,550 7/ 1937 Hartig. 2,942,648 6/1960 Barsotti.

3,061,368 10/1962 Matthews.

LAVERNE D. GEIGE-R, Primary Examiner.

H. ARTIS, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A CHAIR COMPRISING: (A) A FRAME HAVING A FRONT AND A REAR, (B) A PRIMARY SEAT MEMBER FIXED IN SAID FRAME, (C) SAID PRIMARY SEAT MEMBER HAVING AN OPENING THERETHROUGH, (D) A SECONDARY SEAT MEMBER COMPRISING A BASE AND A PLUG MOUNTED ON SAID BASE, (E) SAID PLUG BEING ADAPTED TO FILL SAID OPENING FLUSH WITH SAID PRIMARY SEAT MEMBER WHEN SAID SECONDARY SEAT MEMBER IS IN RAISED CLOSED POSITION, (F) A PAIR OF ELONGATED RUNNERS MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME SPACED BENEATH SAID PRIMARY SEAT MEMBER AND ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID OPENING FOR SLIDABLY SUPPORTING SAID BASE FOR LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT BETWEEN A FIRST LOWERED POSITION WITHIN THE VERTICAL PROJECTION OF AND BENEATH SAID OPENING AND A SECOND LOWERED INOPERATIVE POSITION BEHIND AND REMOVED FROM SAID VERTICAL PROJECTION, SAID PLUG BEING BENEATH SAID PRIMARY SEAT MEMBER IN SAID FIRST LOWERED POSITION AND DURING ITS LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT THEREFROM, (G) CAM MEANS FOR ENGAGING SAID BASE TO VERTICALLY MOVE SAID SECONDARY SEAT MEMBER BETWEEN SAID FIRST LOWERED POSITION AND SAID RAISED POSITION (H) FIRST HANDLE MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID CAM MEANS AND ACCESSIBLE TO AN OCCUPANT OF SAID CHAIR FOR OPERATING SAID CAM MEANS, (I) SECOND HANDLE MEANS OPERATIVELY FIXED TO SAID BASE FOR MOVING SAID SECONDARY SEAT MEMBER LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID RUNNERS BETWEEN SAID FIRST LOWERED POSITION AND SAID SECOND LOWERED POSITION, (J) A RECEPTACLE HAVING AN OPEN TOP, AND (K) MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME FOR SUPPORTING SAID RECEPTACLE IN VERTICAL ALIGNMENT WITH SAID OPENING SO THAT SAID TOP IS BENEATH THE PLANE OF SAID RUNNERS. 